end of my first year, one more to go
I finished my first year of the nursing program at Seattle University. Spring quarter was definitely the hardest most draining quarter. It was all difficult, but not because the material was necessarily all that hard (well maybe pharmacology) it was just more like “we’re gonna break you down” hard. The tests were unlike any test I had taken in college and I had to learn how to read the questions and figure out which was the right, right answer.
The need to achieve certain grades to get into programs is very apparent, but once you are in, the grading is totally arbitrary. Your grades often depend on what teacher you have not necessarily how hard you work. This was so hard for me to get my head around. You can work twice as hard as someone else and get the same grade, or lower, than another student. Also, there is a real lack of team philosophy. Everyone is out for themselves and I am trying to not allow myself to fall into this as well. We should bring each other up.
I was disillusioned by how disorganized the nursing program was sometimes. It often felt like we were flying by the seat of our pants, even the teachers. Every quarter started full speed ahead and there was barely any time to catch your breath to keep going. The teachers were often not very supportive even to the point of being rude, but told us we needed thicker skins. I was not prepared for this. I didn’t know what to expect, but definitely didn’t expect that.
Almost everyone in my cohort was extremely sensitive, overachievers and ridiculously smart. It was kind of amazing. It was also stressful to be around so many people stressing out all the time. I had to block it out. The first quarter I kind of lost my mind. There is more work than you could possibly really do and still have any kind of normal life. It is a program that is terrible for friendships and personal relationships outside of the nursing school. It causes self absorption. You are trying so hard to get good grades, but the reason is totally within yourself because no one is going to ask for your transcripts when you are trying to get a job in a hospital.
This was definitely a test of my will power and it drove me to work harder than I ever have for anything. I even ran less and kind of got out of shape because of it. All of my thoughts were consumed by school, either assignments due or what was going on with my fellow students. It was intense. This past quarter we had psychiatric and geriatric theory and clinical. Having these two together was emotionally hard. It was depressing and enlightening. It made me questions whether or not psych nursing is for me and it was something I hadn’t ever considered before. I can’t wait for next fall, but am really happy to have a few months without nursing school.
The need to achieve certain grades to get into programs is very apparent, but once you are in, the grading is totally arbitrary. Your grades often depend on what teacher you have not necessarily how hard you work. This was so hard for me to get my head around. You can work twice as hard as someone else and get the same grade, or lower, than another student. Also, there is a real lack of team philosophy. Everyone is out for themselves and I am trying to not allow myself to fall into this as well. We should bring each other up.
I was disillusioned by how disorganized the nursing program was sometimes. It often felt like we were flying by the seat of our pants, even the teachers. Every quarter started full speed ahead and there was barely any time to catch your breath to keep going. The teachers were often not very supportive even to the point of being rude, but told us we needed thicker skins. I was not prepared for this. I didn’t know what to expect, but definitely didn’t expect that.
Almost everyone in my cohort was extremely sensitive, overachievers and ridiculously smart. It was kind of amazing. It was also stressful to be around so many people stressing out all the time. I had to block it out. The first quarter I kind of lost my mind. There is more work than you could possibly really do and still have any kind of normal life. It is a program that is terrible for friendships and personal relationships outside of the nursing school. It causes self absorption. You are trying so hard to get good grades, but the reason is totally within yourself because no one is going to ask for your transcripts when you are trying to get a job in a hospital.
This was definitely a test of my will power and it drove me to work harder than I ever have for anything. I even ran less and kind of got out of shape because of it. All of my thoughts were consumed by school, either assignments due or what was going on with my fellow students. It was intense. This past quarter we had psychiatric and geriatric theory and clinical. Having these two together was emotionally hard. It was depressing and enlightening. It made me questions whether or not psych nursing is for me and it was something I hadn’t ever considered before. I can’t wait for next fall, but am really happy to have a few months without nursing school.